Tag: inspiration

5 years ago, I stumbled across one of the most amazing digital artists of his time – Andrew Jones who is also known as Android Jones ( and that’s a fantastic nickname!) His artwork amazed me for the obvious reasons initially. That it looked cool! The way he drew faces (especially female faces which are a favorite of mine) and combined them with cool-looking techie elements blew my mind. I could never imagine something like that. And with a few close friends I shared this obsession with ‘cool-looking’ art. Much later I got hold of an ImagineFX magazine poster which had his and Stanley Lau’s artwork on it. The best issue of Imagine FX ever!

Goddess of Dust

Truth be told, I got it for the latter’s work. My interest had shifted from Andrew’s style of images to those of Stanley Lau‘s. Another kind of cool. This poster has travelled with me through three cities and it has always been the pride of my wall, just above my workspace. My constant source of inspiration. And lately, it has been the artwork above I cannot stop looking at. 4 year later and I am finding new things in it. My sensitivity towards design details have grown over the years and while I am no expert, I do know and perceive more than I ever have.

– 26th Feb 2013 –

It was an honor to meet him. It is not often that you have your heroes speak just five feet from you!

Android at the ‘Design Calling’ workshop at NGMA, Mumbai

He did talk about the art that he made for arts sake and lately I have only heard that term being thrown around by people who have too much time or money and just do anything and the sell it as art or in fact higher art that mere mortals can’t understand. My desperation and disappointment went through many phases and arguments: “Why do we do this?!” “Is there any point to this if I am going to end up in the same place many long and hard years later!?”, I won’t get anywhere because of this system I keep hearing so much about but never really understood what it was. Do you know about it?

And in that bleak, angry existence I listened to what Andrew Jones has to say. And it helped. So much! The reasons he made art, what it meant to him to keep working and dedicate his life to it. Lately, I have grown so lazy and distracted with work and wondering whether this was all worth it that I forgot what it was like to just draw. To create. He spoke very plainly and honestly about how he goes about it. About its hardships and disappointments. And it takes a very special person to make you feel that despite it all it’s going to be ok. Despite all the crap that gets thrown at you by those around you, your situation at the time and insecurity you have about your own work, there is a reason we go back to it. It is our work. We labour hard for it, we love it and it loves us back.

I feel an all-together different kind of cool about his work, at this moment while I am typing and this second when I remembering his words and the experience of him creating and letting us be a part of it.

A reaffirmation. To quote Android Jones that “…it wasn’t just a gift or talent… such words that lazy people use to get out of doing any work and make them feel better about it. It is skill, time, hard work and determination that will get you what you want and bring out the best in your artwork…”

I would like to end this with…’Thank you Andrew Jones‘. These are small words that might not convey the depth of my gratitude, but I am so happy to have met you. I am incredibly grateful for your art, your time and your advice.